The best mobile banking experiences don’t just meet customer needs with strong features and easy-to-use apps; they make customers feel appreciated, valued, respected, and confident — the most important emotions that drive loyalty for banks. That matters even more than usual because the reputation of Australia’s banks has taken a battering over the past year as the government’s Royal Commission exposed major flaws in the banking sector.

Forrester updated its annual evaluation of the mobile banking apps from the five leading Australian banks — ANZ Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CommBank), ING Bank, National Australia Bank (NAB), and Westpac — to see how helpful and easy to use banking apps are for Australian customers. Our evaluations of banks’ mobile apps change over time as the needs and expectations of customers gradually evolve.

CommBank continues to lead the pack in this year’s review (third consecutive year) by combining great user experience with great functionality. Its mobile banking app combines good functionality with best-in-class usability that centers on easy navigation, clear design, and high-quality content that shows customers how to achieve their goals.

In general, most Aussie banks perform poorly in functionality self-service features this year, telling us that banks still struggle to give customers control of their finances through mobile banking. In addition, privacy and trust visuals (usability) continue to be poor, leaving customers a little in the dark when it comes to reassuring them that their movements on mobile banking are safe.